Excerpt: THE SHARP retort of gunfire exploded around Orley Garrick, Duke of Whitcomb, and he ducked, trying to avoid the debris and the bodies of fallen soldiers around him as he surged forward. The smoke from the countless rifles burned his eyes as he desperately looked for the person who had caught his eye. He heard the cries of the dying calling out to him as he rode his horse farther into the thick of battle. Using his sword, he cut down an enemy soldier who raced toward him, mouth open as he let out a battle cry. Orley closed his eyes against the spray of blood across his face and blocked out the sound of the man’s death gurgle as he fell to the ground beneath his own horse. Orley raced on toward the figure in white who didn’t belong on the battlefield. He called out a warning, telling the woman to be careful, because there was no way a man would be on a battlefield wearing a long, flowing white chemise, free of dust and bloodstain, appearing almost angelic among the crowd of soldiers. The woman didn’t stop. Instead she walked straight toward the commander of the enemy soldiers, and fear filled Orley. He wasn’t sure why; he didn’t know the woman, and yet he could not let anything happen to her. At that moment, the woman turned to look at him, and Orley gasped when he realized the woman in front of him was not female as he’d suspected but male. Why in the world was a lady on the battlefield? “You should not be here!” he yelled, trying to warn the male, but just as he got close enough to lift the woman onto the back of his horse, an enemy soldier plunged his sword through the woman’s back and out through his chest. Orley watched helplessly as the woman’s eyes widened moments before he collapsed to the ground, and a grief unlike aught he’d ever experienced ripped through him. He was not sure how he knew, but the dying woman belonged to him, and someone had just taken him away. Tossing his head back, Orley let out an anguished shout at the heavens. ORLEY WOKE, panting and sweating, in the home of his friend, Heathcliff. Holy. Shit. That one had been very different from his other nightmares. He rubbed his face with his hand and groaned as pain raced through his leg—the one that would never be the same. All because of war, a battle. All because of…. Orley shook his head. No, he wasn’t going to think about that. Someone knocked lightly on the door, and Orley winced as he realized his plan to come to his room and take a quick nap after his taxing journey out of Tlondon had turned into a deep sleep and a brand-new nightmare. God, he hated sleeping. “Enter,” he called out as he sat up and swung his legs off the bed he was borrowing while visiting Heathcliff and Lucien for their country-house party. The door opened, and Orley turned to address the person standing there. He stopped short, almost swallowing his tongue as he took in the vision of the most beautiful creature to have ever been born. Orley had been privileged to see many beautiful people in his life. Male and female, he was a lover of aesthetically pleasing images and didn’t discriminate. However, all of them paled in comparison to the lovely light-brown-skinned woman in front of him. Orley’s stomach clenched, his groin tightening as he inhaled sharply. The lovely scent of jasmine wafted up to his nostrils, and his eyes slid closed as he relished in the delightful fragrance emanating from the male who had just entered his room. “Forgive me, Your Grace. I was sent to bring you a light repast and perhaps something to wash up with? His Grace the Duke of Pompinshire thought that perhaps you would like to freshen up before joining the rest of the guests downstairs.” The woman’s voice was soft and lyrical, with a slight lilt to it, and Orley wondered if perhaps he sang. He would have no problem lounging around on the settee listening to him sing or even just talk. Of course, as he took in the male’s appearance, he felt the desire to do much more than just listen to him. “Your Grace? Are you ill?” the servant asked, and Orley swallowed, shaking his head. “N-no. I’m fine. Just a bit out of sorts, I’m afraid. I appear to have overslept during my nap, and now I am feeling quite peckish,” he lied. The woman nodded, his hazel eyes lighting with relief. Orley wondered at that. Was his well-being really of great concern, or was it just because the maid had been sent to look after Orley? Orley allowed his gaze to rove over the young male’s form again, taking in every detail intently. He would like to have something to conjure up in his mind’s eye later on that evening when he put his hand to his already burgeoning erection. Wearing the female black dress with a white apron, which was the maid’s uniform that was standard in most homes of the gentry, the young woman had honey blond hair that was currently pulled back in a very luscious chignon at the nape of his neck, and Orley could only imagine how long and thick it was. An image rose to his brain of that hair hanging down over his face as the young woman slid up and down his cock, and he pressed a hand to the sheets covering his waist. The young male’s skin was almond colored, and all Orley wanted to do was spend hours licking every inch of his body. He was not overly tall, only a few inches taller than Lucien, Heath’s husband, but still much shorter than Orley. And where Orley was all hard, thick muscles, the male maid before him was slender, though still with a lovely, toned body. His slim-fingered hands held a covered silver tray, and Orley gestured him forward with a beckoning wave. “Well, far be it from me to refuse such generosity from His Grace. You can just place it there on the nightstand,” he directed, watching the sway of the servant’s hips beneath the skirt of his maid’s gown as he walked toward the cherrywood nightstand. Orley shoved his fingers through his blond locks, messing up his hair and throwing his queue into disarray. He was unnerved as the vestiges of the nightmare faded from his mind, wreaking havoc with the lovely, distracting image of Heathcliff’s maid, whose form even now was causing a pleasurable ache in his balls. “Is there anything else that I can do for you, Your Grace?” the maid asked, his voice hushed, eyes downcast, and a slight tinge of red to his light brown skin. Orley prided himself on being a man of honor, integrity, and character. As a matter of fact, his grandfather, Charles Edrick Garrick I, the former Duke of Whitcomb, had more than once given him lessons and lectures on the way a gentleman was to behave. Anyone can strut around and use his physical strength to try and prove his brawn. But it takes honor, patience, gentleness, character, integrity, fortitude, knowing when to fight, knowing when to walk away, knowing when to love, how to love, and when to let go, and most importantly, knowing when to use your physical strength and when to be humble, that makes you a man. Orley had always believed those words from his grandfather, had in fact lived by those words for his entire life. He’d only strayed from them when he’d served in His Majesty’s military and on those rare occasions when he’d allowed Blaine, Heathcliff, and Quincy to talk him into traveling down into the Lower East End to partake of the wares of the light-skirts. And while his grandfather’s words usually guided him, right now he was seriously considering doing something illicit. He couldn’t believe the images that were passing through his mind. Flashes. Quick, as if they were memories like his time spent on the battlefield rather than the salacious, hopeful yearnings of a desirous, dry, fruitless attraction. However, the longer he spent in the company of the object of his mind’s current musings, the more it seemed his “dry, fruitless attraction” was soaked in hope and possibility. And perhaps it was for that reason that rationality and his grandfather’s words of character, honor, and integrity grew softer and softer until they were suddenly silent. All he could concentrate on was how lovely Heathcliff’s maid was. How round the male woman’s derriere was. How slim his shoulders were. How graceful his neck was. How full his lips were, and how much Orley desperately wanted to kiss them. “I think I would really like to know your name,” he heard himself saying. The maid’s eyes widened, and he gasped softly. “Me, Your Grace?” Orley chuckled. “Of course you. There is no one else in the room but you and I, and I assure you that I already know my own name. Unless it has changed in the time I have been asleep. It hasn’t, has it?” The maid giggled and covered his mouth, shaking his head. Orley found himself even more enchanted. When was the last time he’d heard someone allow themselves to be so free that they just giggled? His life was constantly surrounded by danger, drama, gossip, backstabbers, and intrigue. He had a very small group of people he could trust, and they didn’t often have the time to smile, much less giggle. Being around someone who could giggle was a relief. It was like a bright ray of sunshine. Orley absolutely had to have the maid’s name. “No, Your Grace. Your name hasn’t changed.” The maid glanced away for a moment, as if embarrassed, and then looked back. “My name is Chester.” He executed a flawless curtsy, and Orley rose from the bed and bowed low, smiling at Chester’s gasp. He knew Chester was surprised that a member of the gentry, and a duke no less, would bow to him, but he would soon learn that Orley was unlike every other duke out there. “It is an honor to meet you, Chester. I am extremely happy to be in your presence and very happy that you will be serving me, and now….” Orley stepped close to Chester, looking down into the young woman’s hazel brown eyes. His heart was pounding, and his leg, for the first time in years, was not throbbing in pain—perhaps that was because only one thing on his body could be throbbing at a time, and his cock already had that covered. “I would very much like to kiss you.” “Y-you would?” Chester stammered. Orley nodded, lifting his hand to brush his fingers against the side of Chester’s cheek. “Is that okay, Chester? I find you to be the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen in my entire life, and I would really like to kiss you. May I?” “You’re asking me?” Chester looked confused. “I was told that men of your standing didn’t ask, that you just take.” Orley shook his head, saddened by what Chester thought of men of the ton, but he knew Chester’s assumptions came as a result of dealing with “men” of a certain ilk. He would be speaking with Heathcliff about those matters later that week, but at that moment, all of his energy and attention was focused on Chester. “Of course I am asking you. You always have a choice. Not just with me, but with every single man in the world. You do not have to do anything you don’t want to do. At least, that is the way it should be in a perfect world. So if you don’t want to kiss me, we don’t have to.” Orley would be disappointed, he would be haunted for days, perhaps a fortnight, by the fullness of Chester’s mouth, but eventually he would get over it. Chester nibbled on his bottom lip and then grinned. “I would love for you to kiss me, Your Grace.” Orley wanted to let out a loud yell of triumph, but he held back and lowered his lips to Chester’s full, pillow-soft mouth. He was fully expecting the surge of lust that spread through his limbs. Maybe he was even expecting the tingle that spread through his fingers and toes. However, the lightheaded feeling that drowned him in peace and yet simultaneous excitement, and the way his heart sped up, were completely unexpected. He growled and pulled Chester to him, as close as he could possibly get the woman. He felt a bit like a ravenous beast, wanting to devour Chester whole. He lifted his lips to take a breath, opened his eyes, and gazed down into Chester’s dazed ones. Chester smiled slowly up at him. Orley grinned back, rubbing his hand up and down Chester’s back and already preparing for the next round of kissing. So he was surprised when he went to lower his head for another kiss and was met with nothing but air and the sound of his bedroom door closing.

Meet the author: Vicktor “Vic” Alexander wrote his first story at the age of ten and hasn’t stopped writing since. He loves reading about anything and everything and is a proud member of the little known U.N. group (Undercover Nerds) because while he lives, eats, breathes, and sleeps sports, he also breathes history and science fiction and grew up a Trekkie. But don’t ask him about Dungeons & Dragons, because he has no idea how to play that game. When it comes to writing he loves everything from paranormal to contemporary to fantasy to BDSM to historical and is known not only for being the Epilogue King but also for writing stories that cross lines and boundaries that he doesn’t know are there. Vic is a proud father of two daughters one of whom watches over him from Heaven with his deceased partner Christopher. Vic is a proud trans* and gay man, and when he is not writing, he is hanging out with his friends, or being distracted by videos of John Barrowman, Scott Hoying, and Shemar Moore. Vicktor has published numerous bestselling novels and has a WIP list that makes him exhausted just thinking about. He knows that he will be still be writing about hot men falling in love with each other, long after he is living in an assisted living facility, flirting with the hot, male nurses.

1. Let’s start out by getting to know you. Tell us 4 things about yourself that are not in your bio.A. I have a “healthy” obsession with the show Scandal. B. I love cooking (especially Italian). C. I have a service dog named, Isadora, who thinks she’s human. D. Even though I write about romance and relationships, I’m not so sure I actually want it, so I write out all of my romantic urges.

2. If you could go anywhere, all expenses paid, where would you go?Italy. Most definitely. I’d love to be able to tour Italy and immerse myself completely in the culture, the food, the people, etc.

3. List three books you have recently read and would recommend Easy Evenings by Mary Calmes. Nothing Ventured by Jay Northcote. Beneath the Stain by Amy Lane.

4. What do you always order in a favorite restaurant? Lasagna from Carrabba’s. See? Told you, Italy!

5. What do you hope to accomplish in the next 12 months? I hope to submit The Priceless Viscountess to Dreamspinner Press, it’s book 3 in the Scandalous Whispers of the Remmington Realm series and then write and submit book 4: The Tamerican Viscontess. I hope to complete and finish the first book in an unnamed paranormal series that puts a twist on the whole wolf shifter-mate thing. I hope to publish Chris-n-zaa which is a Christmas/Chanukah story. I hope to submit Happiness In All Sizes to Dreamspinner Press. I hope to finish Washington, book 3 in The Sevion Brotherhood series and submit it to MLR. I hope to finish Wonderful Mistake and Best Mistake books 4 and 5 in the Mistakes series and submit them to Pride Publishing. I hope to write and submit The Beta Prince, and Untouchable to Rooster & Pig Publishing, Inc. And I hope to write and self-publish The Beta’s Sexy Lover, book 2 in the Ruh Esi series, The Sub’s Affair With A Married Man, Miracle on John Young Parkway, the follow up to St. Nick Luvs Kris Kringle, and Whatever It Takes. Hopefully I can get it all done.

6. What do you like to read? I love to read everything. Romance, historical, sci-fi, fantasy, poetry, action/adventure, paranormal, mystery, suspense/thriller, comedy, supernatural, horror, and biographies.

7. What do you look for when choosing a book to read?I read the blurb and hope for something interesting that’s going to grab my attention. I do have some authors who are auto-buys for me, but I mostly look for books that are outside of the box, stories that I don’t feel as if I’ve read them before. A book that puts a new spin on a typical trope. I love stories with kids, marriage, shifters, vampires, mpreg (male pregnancy), interracial couples, and BDSM. But I read a lot of different subject matters as well.

8. What do you need someone to invent right away?Some type of USB cord or chip or something that allows a writer to write all the time even while they are sleeping, just by hooking it up to their brain. It would merely read the author’s thoughts, extract the words from the author’s brain, and print them onto the screen. That would be fantastic, because then I would be almost complete with my WIP list. Or a coffee i.v. Yeah. That would be perfect too.

9. What does the word "romantic" mean to you?I think being romantic means taking time out of one’s schedule to do something in order to make the object of their affection feel special, cared for, and as if they were the most important/only person in the world for you. It’s doing or saying something that the other person will connect with in order for them to feel how much they are appreciated, adored, and maybe even loved.

10. Can you share something about your works in progress? I can share that book 3 of the Scandalous Whispers of the Remmington Realm series involves one of Orley’s friends and someone who has a scandalous past, and the couple endures much angst before they have their HEA. I can also share the working blurb for Wonderful Mistake: Dalton Cobb is offered the opportunity of a lifetime when his company, Dazzle Wedding & Event Planning, is given the chance to plan the upcoming nuptials of Senate hopeful Xavier Edmond, the first openly gay, African-American man, to his partner, Russell Heter. Dalton throws himself headfirst into the planning of the wedding to the detriment of his six-month long relationship. Taking a break from his workaholicism, Dalton goes to a nightclub to drown his sorrows and meets Christian Seay, the NFL player who recently announced his homosexuality to the world. He has a night of hot and fiery sex with the football star only to be photographed leaving the hotel the next morning with him. Christian Seay came out to the world against the wishes of his agent, his coach, managers, his father, and even his best friend. He did it all because of a letter from a fan and he refuses to look back now. But now that he’s come out it seems as if the press is obsessed with his bed partners. Sleeping with the gorgeous twink from the bar was both the most wonderful and the most horrible mistake Christian could have ever made. Finding out that Dalton is Xavier’s wedding planner just makes things even more interesting. When the two men find themselves in a hotel room once again, this time completely sober, they have to decide if their one night stand was just a mistake, just a wonderful one-off, or one that would lead them to their own happy ending. For everything else, well, I won’t really know until I get farther into them, but I have a varied WIP list. Everything from contemporary to fantasy to historical to paranormal, with BDSM, mpreg, interracial couples, kids, marriage, angst, or friends-to-lovers/enemies-to-lovers mixed in. Thank you! Thank you for having me!

Original Cyn

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